


Five People Who Watched Over Morgan From A Distance

by Name_Pending



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-09-26 12:47:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20389933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Name_Pending/pseuds/Name_Pending
Summary: And one who was always there for her.





	1. Clint Barton

**Author's Note:**

> Each chapter will be a different person's point of view. I'll add more characters as the chapters go, so the ones added just now are just for this chapter.

They say that the only thing more painful than losing a parent is losing a child. Clint wasn’t so sure about the first one, but he was intimately familiar with the second one.

Watching the kids disappear along with Laura was the worst moment of his life. The only moment that came close was watching Natasha fall to her death, and the thing that truly helped him keep going after losing her was being with his family.

That is to say that few people knew better than Clint Barton how important one’s children are. Clint was many things, and he was proud of some of several of them, but he’d give up everything else in his life to remain a father, his most sacred role.

The thing about fatherhood is, you don’t understand how important that role is until you’ve been cast in it, and the only people who truly _ get _ it are other fathers.

Clint didn’t know Tony Stark as a father. He knew him as Iron Man and a fellow Avenger, the guy who would hide in his workshop for days on end and fight the good fight and try to right his wrongs, sometimes with disastrous consequences. By the time Tony became a father he was no longer a person Clint kept tabs on; he was, like all the others, a reminder of everything Clint didn’t want to remember and couldn’t forget. He’d heard Tony had had a kid, but it wasn’t something that affected him. Clint never saw Tony with his daughter. 

The first time he saw Morgan Stark was at her father’s funeral, when he was missing someone more than Tony Stark and was desperately grateful to have his own family back, and truthfully he hadn’t given her much thought at the time.

After the funeral, Clint spent most of his time at the farm, trying to turn himself back into the person he had been before the first snap. It was difficult; after five years of being someone else, sometimes he said or did the wrong thing and Laura would stop in her tracks. Finding himself again was a process, one that left little time for anyone but Laura and the kids. 

Eventually, though, he started spending time with the team again, just occasionally, and that was when he saw Morgan Stark for the second time. She’d grown, both physically and emotionally, since her father’s death, and when Clint saw her she was clinging to her mother’s hand and keeping quiet in the way kids tend to when they don’t understand what the grown-ups are talking about.

It had just been a routine meeting, but there was a link to Stark Industries that had gotten Pepper involved, and although Clint had been surprised to see that she’d come with her daughter, he was the only one. Sam, Rhodey and Peter had joined them and none had so much as blinked when Pepper walked in with Morgan. 

Clint didn’t really pay any attention to her at first, caught up in getting the mission over and done with so he could go home; he understood his responsibilities (after the final snap, it was an all hands on deck situation) but really the allure of the Avengers had dulled to almost nothing since Natasha had died. Morgan was quiet, holding her mother’s hand and looking at the floor while the adults talked, all of the talk simple enough that nobody was concerned about her overhearing anything. 

After a few minutes, though, Peter left to carry out his part of the mission, and Sam got a call that he said he had to take - he didn’t say it was Bucky, but everyone guessed that it was. The mission talk ended quickly, and suddenly Rhodey started as if he’d just remembered something important that he’d almost forgotten, and he asked Pepper if he could have a quick word. She nodded, understanding implicitly that it should be in private, and without hesitation asked Clint if he could watch Morgan for a minute. 

Clint agreed without really thinking about it. That’s another thing about being a father; you don’t worry if an acquaintance asks you to babysit. You know what you’re doing, and interacting with a child is so much easier when you’ve had infinite practice with your own. 

So he just led Morgan into the living area of the new Avengers base (a new compound that was nothing like the old one, a deliberate design that Pepper had funded without being asked to) and asked if she wanted a drink, bringing her juice from the fridge when she said yes.

Sitting across from the small girl, Clint looked at her properly for the first time, and for the first time since the funeral he felt a pang of true loss over Tony Stark. Not so much for himself (he appreciated Stark’s sacrifice, but truthfully it had been a long time since he’d been on good terms with the man) but for the child in front of him now.

She looked more like her father than her mother, though Pepper’s features were evident enough. She had Tony’s colouring and his posture, and although she was quiet now Clint got the impression that she had his charm as well. 

“So, you been to the compound before, kid?” he asked, partly just to gauge a response - the spy in him never wavered even in his semi-retirement. 

Morgan nodded. “Uncle Rhodey brings me here all the time. He has a suit like my daddy’s.”

“Yeah, your dad designed that suit.”

“He built lots of stuff.” Morgan looked sad for a moment, but then she seemed to look at something behind Clint and was distracted in the way that only a child can be from something so heavy. “Did he build that thing on your back?”

“What?” Clint was caught off guard, until he realised that his quiver and collapsed bow were visible behind him. “Oh. No, this wasn’t one of your dad’s. He did build me one like it, years ago.”

“What happened to it?”

_ It was taken off me when I was imprisoned at the Raft by your old man_, was the archer’s first thought, but he couldn’t say that.

“I lost it. Stupid of me really.” He leaned forward conspiratorially and grinned at the girl. “Your dad made all the best stuff. This one’s not as good.”

Morgan grinned back, and her smile was so like her father’s that Clint struggled to keep smiling. 

“What does it do?”

“You’ve never seen a bow and arrow before?”

“Like in Robin Hood?”

Clint suppressed a groan and thought for a moment that this was all he needed, another Stark giving him a ridiculous nickname based on his weapon of choice; he wondered if Robin Hood was better or worse than Legolas. Still, it wasn’t surprising. When would a kid her age with her life have ever seen a bow and arrow? Archery wasn’t a thing either Tony or Pepper were into. 

“Way better than Robin Hood, little lady. Here, watch.”

Clint stood and extended his bow, drawing an arrow slowly so Morgan could watch the movement, and fixing it to the bow. He looked over the nearby wall, noting with satisfaction that there was a small blue mark on the white paint. 

“See that spot on the wall over there? Watch that spot.”

Clint glanced at her out of the corner of his eye to make sure she was following his instruction and then he loosed the arrow, opting to watch the girl’s reaction instead of his target; he knew without looking that it was a perfect hit anyway. Morgan cheered and smiled brightly up at Clint in awe, and Clint winked at her. 

“Robin Hood’s got nothing on me, kid. Look, not even looking this time.” He turned his back, drawing another arrow and aiming it backwards at an awkward angle and letting it hit the same spot. “Pretty good, huh?”

“Awesome!” Morgan exclaimed, and Clint almost laughed because she even _ sounded _ like Tony. “Can I try?”

Clint faltered a little. “Uh … maybe you want to ask your mom?”

“Ask her mom what?” Pepper’s voice asked, and Clint turned to see her and Rhodey entering the room, having just caught the end of the conversation. 

“Oh, nothing. Just inspiring the next generation to love archery” Clint shrugged, looking slightly sheepish as Pepper saw the two arrows embedded in the wall. “I think she’s a fan.”

“Mommy, the arrows hit a spot on the wall. It was really fast!”

“I can imagine” Pepper smiled.

“Can I try it?”

“Maybe when you’re older, sweetheart. I think that bow’s a bit big for you just now” Pepper said, and Clint didn’t know her well enough to notice the fond smile she tried to hide, but Rhodey caught it and grinned. 

“Can’t imagine what her dad would think of her liking a bow and arrow better than my suit” he muttered, drawing quiet laughter from the other adults. 

“Hey, gotta keep up with the classics” Clint grinned. “We all set for tomorrow?”

Rhodey nodded solemnly.

“Yes, everything’s in order” Pepper agreed. “Thanks for keeping an eye on her, Clint.”

“No problem.”

Clint folded the bow up and stored it away, turning to the little girl he’d been entertaining before heading out to complete his phase of the mission. “It’s been a pleasure, Miss Stark.”

“I love your bow and arrow, mister ...”

“Hawkeye. All the best archers have cool names” Clint told her, giving her a warm smile which she returned. 

He nodded to Pepper and Rhodey and waved to Morgan before leaving. 

The mission went by without any complications, and soon enough Clint was back at the farm. He had almost forgotten the interaction until he was sat with Laura on the porch, watching Lila practicing her archery. She was good with the bow, and Clint felt the familiar pride in his chest whenever she hit her mark. 

It got him thinking about little Morgan, and although he knew that children go through phases of finding something interesting that usually last all of five minutes (all his kids had been interested in archery and only Lila had stuck with it) he nonetheless had an idea that made him smile too much not to follow through with it. 

About two weeks after Morgan Stark had met Clint Barton, a package addressed to her showed up at the Avengers compound, and Rhodey scanned it for safety and took it to her. 

He and Pepper watched as Morgan lifted her new, child-sized bow in delight and scattered the safety-tipped arrows across the flow. There was a paper target and a cleaning kit inside, and a note that simply read: 

** _ I bet you can beat Robin Hood. _ **

Rhodey and Pepper rolled their eyes at the unsigned note, and watched as Morgan tried out her new bow with enthusiasm. It was a kid’s version, so there was nothing dangerous about it and Pepper let her accept the gift without complaints. After all, she’d probably lose interest in it after a few days... 

Years later, Morgan Stark still hadn’t lost her interest in archery. She didn’t practice enough to be up to the standards of the likes of Clint or Lila Barton, but she would give Robin Hood a run for his money any day. 

Morgan saw Clint only very rarely and when she was older she would come to almost forget the first time they spoke, but she remembered her first bow and her mother had told her who sent it. 

And if Clint liked to semi-anonymously send her little accessories and new styles of arrow because he simply thought she’d like them, then that was his little secret. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why but I just love the idea of Morgan being into archery!


	2. Bruce Banner

Bruce had always liked kids. 

When he was a young man, he saw a future with children. He had wanted his own. When he was with Betty, at first, he saw the same future. He’d always imagined that magical moment when his first child would be placed into his arms, when he’d get what he’d always wanted. 

He had also always been afraid of getting what he wanted. Brian Banner was a terrible person and a worse father, so his only guidance on how to be a father was on how _ not _ to treat a child. Although he longed to be a parent, he was nonetheless terrified by the prospect. Yet he held onto the idea, and in general was fond of children. 

After the incident, after the Hulk, his dream had crumbled completely. 

At first Bruce was almost glad that the radiation had rendered him unable to have children. He was a monster - unstable, dangerous, liable to blow up at any moment. All his energy was focused on trying to keep calm and keep the monster at bay. 

It wasn’t until he joined the Avengers that he believed the Other Guy could do some good in the world, and it wasn’t until after the first snap that he truly made his peace with his other half. 

After that, he felt the loss that he was no longer able to have children. He was finally in a place where he could have had a quiet life, and for the first time he even felt like he deserved it. The thought of adoption might have crossed his mind once or twice, but never with any real level of seriousness; regardless of his control they’d never leave a child in his permanent care.

His new, peaceful life had eventually meant allowing himself and the Hulk to become one, and then he was both the clever doctor and the strong Avenger, and that was good. Old dreams were left in the pre-snap world and he embraced his new role in the shattered remains of happier times. 

During those five years he never went back to being an Avenger, not officially, though he remained in contact with several old friends on the team, especially Natasha. 

He also kept in limited contact with Tony Stark. Tony was no longer on the team at all, but during their time together on the original Avengers team, the two geniuses had become fairly close, and Bruce was one of the few people with whom Tony kept in contact just for social purposes. 

Tony had told him when Pepper fell pregnant, and sent him a picture of his new baby girl in her first days on the planet. Bruce communicated with Tony solely through phone calls and emails, so he never saw Morgan Stark in person, but he heard about the milestones in her life through the proud voice of her father. 

After the final snap, after they lost Tony, Bruce finally got to meet her for the first time, and he saw instantly why Tony was so proud of his daughter. Morgan was intelligent, confident, funny and beautiful. Even after losing her father, she was so strong, and anyone who knew her parents could see them both in her. 

At the funeral, Pepper and Morgan remained on the pier for a long time, with Happy and Rhodey standing behind them as guardians. Long after most of their friends had retired, Bruce remained with them, understanding their loss better than most of the others in attendance. 

When Pepper finally turned Morgan around to lead her back inside, the little girl’s eyes were red but her tears had dried, and Bruce’s heart clenched when he looked at her. He had, just once or twice, seen Tony’s eyes filled with tears, and it was impossible not to be reminded of that when he saw his friend’s eyes replicated in his daughter. By the time Pepper was ready to turn back, the only people remaining with her were Bruce and Happy, Rhodey having gone inside with Steve some time ago.

Morgan, who had walked past many people she did not know that day, hadn’t paid attention to any of them. The small girl was looking at the ground as she was gently guided back by her mother, and didn’t react to Happy’s presence, someone she knew well. She did, however, stop when she saw Bruce, a giant green stranger and the only other person who was still there, who smiled down at her kindly. 

Bruce had no intention of interrupting this painful moment, but Pepper stopped when Morgan did and forced a tired smile for her daughter’s sake. “Morgan, this is Bruce. He’s an old friend of Daddy’s and mine.”

“Hi, Morgan.”

“Hello” the little girl said quietly, her voice subdued but clear. 

Bruce glanced down at Pepper, silently asking if she wanted him to step back so she could go inside and be alone with her daughter. Pepper simply smiled, and told Happy to go on inside. 

Accepting her offer for what it was, Bruce knelt down to be that bit closer to his friend’s daughter. His arm hurt as he knelt, and he felt terrible for even feeling the pain; a damaged limb was a small price to pay to save trillions, and did not come close to the sacrifice Tony Stark had made. He smiled at Morgan, though, and it wasn’t as forced as he would have thought. It was painful to look at the sad little face of Tony’s daughter, but it was comforting as well. It was a promise that Tony had left his legacy not just as Iron Man, not just as a hero, but also as just Tony. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Morgan. Your dad told me a lot about you.”

“You’re big and green” Morgan replied, unintentionally drawing a smile from both Bruce and Pepper. “I haven’t seen you before.”

“Well, big and green wouldn’t have fit in your house too well, I guess” Bruce said, the only thing he could really say to this child.

The truth was that Bruce had made his peace with the Hulk and become his new self, and it was too close to the Avengers and that old life for Tony. Tony had been respectful of his wishes but had been happier to communicate electronically and not in person. Bruce had understood that. He knew that Tony, of all people, was not afraid of him or even the Other Guy, much less what they were now. But he had wanted to keep that whole world away from his family, and Bruce respected that. 

He wasn’t about to try and explain that to Morgan, though, and so he simply continued, “Your dad sent me a photo of you when you were just born, you know. You’re a lot bigger now.”

“Dad says I was a tiny baby.”

“You were” Pepper murmured, and Bruce politely didn’t comment on the fresh tears on her cheeks.

“I don’t even know if I believe that” Bruce said. “I mean, look at you. You’re like a giant person. Won’t be long and you’ll be as big as your mom.”

“Big as you” Morgan said, and for the first time Bruce saw the happy child that she usually was breaking through the sad little girl that she had been all day. “I could be as big as you.”

“Big as me? Oh, I don’t know about that” Bruce teased, grinning to show he was playing with her. “Your dad wasn’t as big as me, you know.”

“Mommy says Daddy isn’t as tall as he likes to think” Morgan replied, stating it as if it was something that she’d overheard her mother say many times in her short life. 

Pepper laughed at that, squeezing her daughter’s hand. “Mommy’s right.”

“Yeah, your mom’s usually right” Bruce said, casting a kind smile at Pepper who returned it. “I’ll tell you a secret, okay?”

“Okay.”

“It’s a big secret, though. So I’ll only tell you if you can keep a secret.”

“I can” Morgan said, a tiny bit of excitement at the distraction creeping in. “I keep lots of secrets!”

Bruce ignored Pepper’s laughter and leant forward, stage whispering to Morgan with a hand over his mouth as if Pepper wouldn’t be able to hear them. Morgan leant in to listen, letting go of her mother’s hand to also cover her face to protect their whispered secret. Pepper folded her arms, smiling at the interaction. 

“Sometimes, I’m actually a little guy myself. Sometimes I’m only about as big as your dad” Bruce whispered loudly. “Your mom wouldn’t think I was very tall either.”

Pepper and Morgan both laughed, and Bruce’s face split in a genuine grin as he succeeded in bringing just a little bit of laughter to this painful place. Tony would have been pleased. 

“Can I be big and green one day?” Morgan asked, still whispering to Bruce.

“Big? Well, I don’t know about that, small-fry. But green? You get your mom to say yes, and I’ll grab some green paint out your dad’s old lab and pour it over you. We could match.”

“My hair would go green!”

“Well, maybe we can put a hood on you first.”

Morgan giggled at that and turned to smile at her mother. “Mom, I’m going to be green!”

“Of course, honey” Pepper said, in the mock-serious way that parents use when they humour their children’s ridiculous flights of fancy. 

“Sorry, Pepper” Bruce said, not really sorry at all. “I’ll pay the cleaning bill?”

“You’d better” Pepper said, and the smile she gave Bruce was the most genuine one she’d had since the battle. “Thanks, Bruce. We need to go inside, it’s getting chilly out.”

“Sure” Bruce nodded, and he extended his hand to Morgan. “It was good to finally meet you, Morgan. Maybe the next time I see you you’ll be even bigger than you are now.”

“I will be” Morgan said, and she fearlessly grabbed his big green hand (his finger, really, since that was all her hand could grip on to) and shook it firmly, like they were making a deal. 

Pepper patted Bruce on the arm and then guided Morgan inside, where Happy was waiting for them. Bruce watched them go, and although he didn’t smile he felt lighter than he had in a long time. 

Bruce missed Tony, more than most of the others. Tony had been the first person since the accident (besides Betty, but that was different) to not be afraid of him, to talk to him like he wasn’t a ticking time bomb. Tony had taken him in after the Battle of New York all those years ago, setting him up in a room in the old tower like there had always been a place for him there, and accepting him into their circle without hesitation. Tony had been a large part of why he had stayed, his new friend who honestly wasn’t afraid of him. He owed Tony so much.

He would never have his chance to tell Tony how grateful he was for supporting him. He would never get to tell him how sorry he was that he wasn’t there during the fight over the Accords and its aftermath. He would never be able to tell him that Tony was the best friend he had ever had.

Yet it didn’t need to end there. He could still do something to repay his friend. He could watch over his daughter.

True, he wouldn’t be able to be there all the time, not like somebody like Happy who was already an integral part of young Morgan’s life. Tony and Pepper both wanted Morgan to have some space from the chaos and danger of the Avengers, and Bruce could never jeopardise that. 

But what he could do was watch over her. He may not see her very often, but he could be sure that she knew he was there if she ever needed him. If she ever got into any trouble or someone tried to hurt her, Bruce vowed to be there to protect her. 

He would protect her, in a way he couldn’t protect Tony. 

And over the years that followed that sad first meeting, Bruce Banner kept his vow. 

Heiress to billions and the Iron Man legacy, Morgan Stark was targeted on more than one occasion. Usually people like Happy could sort things out before they started, but on the rare occasion that it was more complicated, Bruce was always there.

Even though they didn’t see each other as often as Bruce might have liked, Morgan was always on good terms with the doctor, and when it became evident that she was incredibly clever and gifted (to nobody’s surprise) Bruce served as a mentor to her talents in any way that he could. The two served as proof that sometimes the people you trust the most aren’t always the people you see every day. 

Bruce Banner never had his own children, but he did his part to watch over his best friend’s daughter. And watching her grow and thrive, he knew that he was lucky to have her. 


	3. Peter Parker

One moment Peter was turning to dust and the next it was five years later and he was being helped up by Doctor Strange, who transported him into a fight so horrific he could never have imagined it. It was exhilarating and terrifying and essential, and in its final moments it was one of the most painful experiences of his life. 

Returning to his life, five years later that hadn’t actually been five years for him, was easy at first and unimaginably difficult soon after. Going back to his aunt and his friends, that part was simple. Going to the temporary Avengers headquarters (a retired Shield facility that had been repurposed in the first hours after the battle) was far harder.

After the battle, almost everyone had someone to check on, someone they’d lost who they had to see for themselves to believe that they were really back, including Peter. Afterwards, virtually all of them received a message from Nick Fury summoning them to the temporary base. 

Peter told Aunt May where he was going for once, and he knew from her instant acceptance that he must have looked terrible. He hadn’t slept much since coming back, seeing Mr Stark’s damaged, dying face every time he closed his eyes. It wasn’t going to stop him though. Mr Stark had made him an Avenger, and he was going to live up to the title if it was the last thing he ever did. 

When he arrived at the base, he was one of the first ones there, and yet he was surprised to see that it wasn’t just the Avengers who had been invited. He saw Happy quickly, and he grabbed the older man in a tight hug before Happy could see it coming and dodge it. In fact, Happy held onto him like he was scared to let go, and there was a silent understanding between two people who had truly cared for Tony Stark.

After greeting Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes properly for the first time, Peter was tapped on the shoulder by someone and turned to see Pepper Potts, someone he had met several times and despite himself he smiled broadly, relieved to see her again.

Pepper drew him into her arms without hesitation and Peter clung onto her, vaguely aware that Rogers and Barnes had left the room to give them privacy. 

“Hey, ma’am” Peter said as he pulled back.

Pepper placed her hands on her hips. “Pepper, for the hundredth time, kid. It’s good to see you.”

“Yeah, you too.” Peter bit his lip before continuing. “How are you … y’know, holding up? Since ...”

“I’m okay. How about you?”

“The same.”

The two shared a sad smile, understanding that neither of them were okay. 

“Mommy?”

Peter glanced behind Pepper at the sound of a child’s voice, and he saw a girl of maybe three or four enter the room, coming to stand at Pepper’s side. 

Peter blinked in disbelief, knowing instantly that this was Morgan H. Stark, daughter of Tony Stark. 

Missing five years meant you missed a hell of a lot, and several of the revelations he’d had since the battle had stunned Peter, but he was fairly sure that nothing had shocked him more than learning that Tony Stark had a daughter. He’d heard her name (it was included in the briefing packet that the Avengers who had survived the first snap had drawn up to fill in the ones who hadn’t) but this was the first time he had seen her. 

_ She looks so much like him_, was Peter’s first thought.

“Peter, this is Morgan. Morgan, this is Peter Parker. He’s your …”

Pepper trailed off, and Peter realised that she didn’t know how to introduce him. His chest felt tight, because Tony wouldn’t have hesitated, and it sucked knowing that he and Pepper hadn’t spent enough time together to be the same. 

Peter waved at Morgan and stepped in to fill the gap. “Hi. I used to work with Mr … with your dad. He was a really good friend of mine.”

_ He was more than that_, Peter thought, but somehow it didn’t seem appropriate to say anything in front of Tony’s honest-to-god daughter. 

“My daddy’s dead” Morgan said quietly, and Pepper hand came to rest on her shoulder in response. Morgan’s eyes teared up. “Mommy said he isn’t coming back home.”

Peter froze, because he had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to respond. He looked to Pepper for help and winced to see that Pepper’s eyes were closed and her face was pinched, and she was probably one poor comment away from breaking down. 

Peter gulped and bent down to sit cross-legged in front of the little girl. 

“I’m so sorry, Morgan. Your dad … he was a really great guy. Mr Stark was the one to bring me into this team, and he was … he really looked out for me. I’ll bet he took great care of you.”

Morgan nodded, sniffling like children do when they’ve already sobbed and wailed out their grief and now are only crying because they physically don’t know how to stop. 

“My daddy was the best daddy in the world” she said. 

“I’m sure he was.”

Peter hesitantly patted the ground in front of him, relieved when Morgan knelt down to sit across from him on the floor. 

Above them Pepper stepped back and went to the other side of the spacious room, close even to keep an eye on them (it had been only two days, and she wasn’t yet ready to let her daughter out of her sight) but far enough away to give them privacy.

Peter glanced at Pepper but she seemed engrossed in the tablet she had picked up, so he focused his full attention on Morgan. He had felt completely drained since the battle, but seeing the teary-eyed child in front of him gave him a new sense of strength that he hadn’t realised was there. He could grieve behind closed doors, he could cry in his aunt’s arms like a kid when nobody was watching, but here and now he was an Avenger. He could be strong for this child who had lost her father so young, and Peter felt a deep sense of loss at the thought that she may never understand how much she had missed out on by not getting more time with him.

“I was with your dad when he passed away, Morgan. He was a real hero.”

“Daddy said you were a hero, too.”

“He did?” Peter was genuinely surprised. “I didn’t know he’d told you about me.”

“We have a photo of you with Daddy in the kitchen.”

Morgan’s words brought tears to Peter’s eyes and without thinking he reached out to take both her small hands in his, swallowing hard to try and stop the tears from falling. He hadn’t realised that Tony had cared so much; he had known for a long time that Tony saw him as more than just a student or an intern, but to hear that he’d kept a picture of them and talked to his actual daughter about how Peter was a hero? That hit hard. 

“He taught me how to be a hero” Peter said. 

“I want to be a hero when I grow up” Morgan said, like she was revealing a secret. “I’m going to be just like Daddy.”

Peter smiled at her and ignored the tear travelling down his cheek. “I bet you’ll be the best superhero ever.”

Morgan almost managed a smile but then she looked back down at the ground. “Peter? Daddy said you died and you came back. Will my daddy come back?”

Peter bit his tongue to stop the cry that wanted to escape, swallowing it down before he shook his head. “No. I’m sorry. What happened to your dad was different. But he saved the whole universe!”

He was trying to be reassuring, but what would have been comforting to someone his age was not so comforting to a small child, and tears spilled down the girl’s cheeks. 

“I miss my daddy!” It was louder than anything else she’d said, and grief-stricken. “I want him to come home now!”

Peter reacted entirely on instinct, completely unaware that Pepper had started to move towards them, stopping when she saw that Peter already had things in hand. He reached out and pulled the crying child onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her and rocking her gently. 

He had little experience with children and had no idea if this was the right thing to do or not, but instinct told him that what Morgan needed was not logic or platitudes, but simple comfort. God knew it was what Peter himself needed, and Tony Stark was even more her father than he was Peter’s. 

Morgan clung onto him, trusting him in the way that children do when their parents leave them with someone, trusting in the boy who until now she had only seen in that one picture they had of him in the kitchen, the one that always made her dad look terribly sad when he stared at it.

Peter rocked the girl until her sobs stopped, and the whole time he clenched his eyes tightly shut to try and stop his own tears from falling. He wasn’t having much success, his tears falling on the girl’s soft hair, but he was quiet, letting the child pour out her grief to a boy she had never met but who understood her situation better than anyone else in the world. 

By the time Morgan pulled away, her face was wet and so was Peter’s, but he smiled kindly at the child nonetheless. There was a lot he could say to her, but he settled for the only thing that mattered, the one thing that truly united them. 

“It’s okay, Morgan. I miss him too.”

Morgan nodded and sniffed, wiping her nose on her wrist, making Peter kind of wish he had a tissue to hand her. 

As if summoned by his thoughts - though in reality by motherly instinct - Pepper appeared at Morgan’s side with a handful of tissues. She wiped her daughter’s nose and cheeks, and handed a tissue to Peter with a soft smile. Peter smiled back, a little shakily, as he gratefully scrubbed at his cheeks while Morgan wasn’t looking. He politely didn’t comment on Pepper’s red eyes.

“We need to get going, baby girl” Pepper said quietly, kneeling by her daughter with one arm around her shoulders. “Uncle Rhodey’s just arrived.”

That, at least, brought a smile to Morgan’s face, and consequently Peter’s. She had a pretty smile; it was somehow both Tony and Pepper, a perfect combination. He was sure it would be even more beautiful when she didn’t look so sad.

“Joining us, Peter?”

It was an honest invitation, but Peter didn’t think it was appropriate. From what he’d heard so far, he didn’t think Rhodes and Pepper had seen each other since the battle, and he didn’t want to interrupt. Besides, he wasn’t just here as someone who cared about Tony Stark, he was also here as an Avenger. Peter Parker might want to fall to the ground in grief, but Spiderman had a job to do, and he knew which one Tony would have insisted was the right choice. 

“I’ll give you some space. Avengers stuff to do, y’know.”

“Of course” Pepper nodded, accepting his answer with grace. “Say bye to Peter, Morgan.”

“Bye, Peter.”

Morgan stepped forward and back into Peter’s arms without prompting, and Pepper raised one brow in surprise. Morgan was a friendly, confident child, but since she’d been given the news she seemed reluctant to let go of her mother’s hand. For her to step away from her mother to go to Peter was both reassuring and beautiful, and in another way it was heartbreaking - Tony would have loved to see this.

Peter hugged her tightly, taking her into his arms as easily as if he’d done it a hundred times before and would do it another hundred times. It felt like embracing a younger sister. 

“I’ll see you around, okay Miss Stark?”

“Will you come for dinner later?”

Peter glanced questioningly at Pepper who just rolled her eyes as if there was any doubt as to whether or not he was invited. 

“Sure I will. What are we having?”

“Spaghetti with the letters” Morgan replied before Pepper could, and Peter knew from the expression on her mother’s face that this was an argument she wasn’t even going to attempt.

“Awesome” Peter said enthusiastically. “That is the _ best _ kind of spaghetti!”

“Okay, Morgan, we need to get going before Uncle Rhodey hunts us down” Pepper said, rising to her feet with a smile that seemed, to Peter’s satisfaction, perhaps just a bit lighter than a few moments before. “We’ll see you at dinner, Peter.”

“See you then.”

Peter watched the two leave hand in hand, waving at Morgan when she turned round to wave goodbye. They stepped into the elevator and were gone, leaving Peter alone. 

That night was the first dinner that Peter had with Morgan Stark, but it wasn’t the last. As she grew up, Peter became someone who would bring a smile to Morgan’s face every time she saw him. 

Peter wasn’t around as much as he’d have liked to have been. The reality was that he led a very different life and couldn’t be around that often. He made it for dinner now and again, though, and in an emergency Morgan never hesitated to turn to turn to Peter, someone who she fondly called her adopted big brother. 

Peter wished he was around more often, but he kept an eye on Morgan in other ways when he wasn’t around for real. Karen kept tabs, and he occasionally called and emailed when she was old enough. The Avengers who saw her less often (the majority of them) occasionally asked after her and Peter was the first one they would turn to, something which was a private point of pride for him.

Morgan didn’t see him all the time, but whenever she had good news, Peter was usually one of the first to know. Peter may not have been around every day, but he was there in the background, watching out for Morgan, and it was enough. 

  
Peter Parker and Morgan Stark, the proudest legacy that Tony Stark had left behind, proved beyond all doubt that just because you don’t see a person more than a few times a year doesn't mean that they aren’t precious to you. Despite limited contact, Morgan became very precious to Peter, and he became one of the most important people in her life. 

And one day, many years later, when Peter kissed Morgan’s cheek at the end of the church aisle he had just guided her down and shook hands with the person she was about to marry, he stood tall with teary eyes and knew that this, perhaps more than anything else, would have made Tony Stark proud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was almost painful to write. As much as I love the idea of Peter and Morgan being besties, I think Peter would be off doing his own thing a lot of the time. I couldn't resist the last bit though - I love the idea of him being the one to walk her down the aisle if she ever gets married!


	4. Wanda Maximoff

Wanda Maximoff was never on great terms with Tony Stark. 

Even after Ultron and Sokovia she found it hard to let go of her ingrained anger with him, and after their little Civil War and the house arrest and the Accords … well, it was safe to say that she wasn’t a big fan. 

Steve and Natasha had both told her that Stark was fundamentally a good person, and although Wanda learned to trust their judgement and tried to believe them, she had a hard time understanding Stark’s motives. Vision was the only person who made Wanda really believe in Stark’s ability to do good in this world; without him, after all, she wouldn’t have Vis. 

It was impossible to argue that Stark was anything but a true hero, though, after he turned Thanos and his armies to ash, saving the universe and losing his life in the process. 

Wanda had knelt on the battlefield with the others in silent respect and had attended Stark’s funeral despite her own slight discomfort. 

She didn’t belong there, she knew that. She had never been on the team at the same time as Stark except for her first fight, years ago in floating Sokovia, and she hadn’t really known him. She felt out of place and opted to stand near the back of the funeral procession, a distance away from Stark’s friends and family. It helped that Sam and Bucky stood with her; there was a camaraderie between them, Steve’s friends, the people who didn’t really belong. 

Wanda had also been unable to focus, feeling awkward that while these people mourned Tony Stark, she was mourning for someone else. She found some small comfort in Clint, who also was mourning for another, but she left as soon as it was polite to, parting with a comforting hug to Steve, who had looked less and less composed as the day wore on.

Wanda had glimpsed Tony Stark’s daughter at the funeral but besides some instinctive sympathy for another child who had lost a parent, she hadn’t really noticed her. The girl simply had no effect on her, this child of people she didn’t really know. 

After the funeral, Morgan Stark was not a person who Wanda ever thought of. She was prominent in the news following the final snap (despite Pepper’s best efforts to keep her out of it as much as possible, though of course this was not something Wanda knew) but only ever phased into Wanda’s peripheral vision. 

Wanda threw herself into training and missions, although they were increasingly political and less adrenaline-fuelled, trying to keep her mind too busy to dwell on the pain of losing Vision and Steve and Natasha. Sam helped, and every now and then she found herself at Clint’s farm, but Wanda did not interact with anything to do with Tony Stark again until more than a year after the funeral, when by chance she happened to have returned to their new, rather lonely compound from a day trip at the same time that Pepper Potts was visiting.

Wanda had never really spoken to Tony’s wife, and when she entered the compound the only other people in the room were Sam and Rhodey. She smiled at the other woman hesitantly in greeting but moved through the room to her own bedroom without speaking, knowing that sometimes the kindest thing was simply to say nothing. 

Leaving the door open as usual, Wanda unpacked her supplies. The compound was always fully stocked with the essentials but she liked to shop for her own little luxuries, and today she had purchased some old novels, a glass ornament in the shape of a deer with eyes that reminded her of the mind stone, and some bright red nail polish that was a darker shade than anything she’d used before. 

She placed the ornament on a shelf with a sad smile, naming it Vis 2.0 in her head, and arranged the novels on the bookcase, having already decided on her way back which one she’d start first. Although she could have been training or gone out to socialise, Wanda decided to take a break and hide in her room to try out the new colour of nail polish she’d bought. 

Painting her nails was a guilty pleasure. In better times Natasha used to bring her new colours she thought Wanda would like, and trying out a new colour now was comforting, a way to stay connected to her absent friend. 

Her fingernails were gleaming red and she was just blowing on them to help them dry when Wanda suddenly got the sense that she was being watched and she turned to look at the open doorway. 

Standing there with one hand on the doorframe and a curious expression on her face was Morgan Stark. 

The little girl had had a growth spurt in the year and a bit since the funeral, and she looked relaxed and inquisitive, not sad like she had back then. She was wearing a red dress over a white shirt and white tights, and now that she got a good look at her, Wanda could see that she was very pretty. 

“Hello” Wanda said quietly, not sure what else to say. 

“Hi. I’m Morgan. Who are you?”

“I’m Wanda.”

“Are you an Avenger?”

“Yes.” Wanda blinked at the child who was now staring at her without replying. “What are you doing here, little one?”

“Exploring” Morgan shrugged, looking bored now. “Mommy has to talk business with Uncle Rhodey. He’s an Avenger too.”

“Yes, Rhodey’s a friend.” It was true, broadly speaking. “Does your mother know you’re wandering around?”

“Mommy says the compound’s safe” Morgan replied, like that was answer enough, and Wanda supposed it was. “She says I need to entertain myself.”

Wanda let a hint of a smile grace her features. “I used to entertain myself a lot at your age, too. Me and my brother were often on our own.”

“Did you play games?”

“Sometimes.” Memories of a childhood shared with Pietro made her chest ache dully, but she didn’t let the little girl see that. “He usually won.”

“I have a brother, too. I don’t see him much but he plays games with me sometimes. I always win.”

Wanda nodded seriously, although privately she wondered who Morgan was talking about; she knew that Tony Stark only had one child and she hadn’t heard that Pepper Potts had taken a new partner. Probably an adoptive sibling, though she wasn’t sure who.

“Can we play a game?”

The child’s question caught Wanda off guard and she suddenly felt very nervous. She didn’t really know _ why _ \- there was no reason to be cautious of an innocent child. Everything about the little girl showed that she was confident and comfortable in the compound, and probably used to getting whoever was in at the time to play with her. Wanda was perceptive enough to realise that ‘safe’ and ‘Avenger’ were probably synonymous in her mind. 

Still, she didn’t spend much time around any children, and wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t really want to play games but felt like she couldn’t say no; she certainly wasn’t rude enough to try and push a friendly kid away in a place that she clearly felt at home in.

“I don’t have any games, I’m afraid.”

“We can make one up” Morgan said brightly, finally coming into the room and standing in front of Wanda where the Avenger was perched on the edge of her bed. She caught sight of the closed bottle of nail polish that was placed next to her. “What’s that?”

“Nail varnish. So you can paint your nails different colours.”

“Is that why your nails are red?”

“Yes.” Wanda tapped her nails absent-mindedly, checking that they were dry, which they were.

“They’re pretty” the little girl said. “Mommy made my nails blue once but it all came off ages ago.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t last long.”

Wanda and Morgan shared a smile as they both looked up from Wanda’s shining red nails at the same time. 

“Can I have red nails, too?” Morgan asked, seeming almost shy for the first time.

Wanda hesitated for a moment; was it okay to agree to that without getting her mother’s permission? It wasn’t like her nail polish was harmful, but she knew parents tended to have their own views on that sort of thing - she’d seen mothers and daughters arguing about make-up and hair products in various shops enough times to know that. 

She could just go and ask Pepper if it was okay, but as Morgan had said, Pepper and Rhodey were talking business, and it seemed foolish to interrupt for something like this. She could always hand over her nail polish remover if anyone objected, anyway. 

Decision made, Wanda nodded and patted the space next to her on the bed. “I don’t see why not.”

Morgan grinned and scrambled up next to her, holding both hands out eagerly. 

“One at a time” Wanda instructed, smiling kindly. “You’ll have to keep your hands very still or the paint will smudge.”

“Okay.” Morgan nodded seriously, like this was an important task she was undertaking and offering Wanda her left hand, fingers splayed out.

Her nails were short but clean, and Wanda took the girl’s hand in her left hand to steady it while she held the brush in her right hand, the bottle wedged in the crease of her crossed legs for balance. 

Morgan, for all she was bold, was very calm and still as she watched Wanda painstakingly turn her nails red, taking the time to gently blow on the paint to help it dry faster. She exchanged her left hand for her right when instructed, and held her left hand out to the side, gleefully admiring the colour that matched Wanda’s. 

Wanda took great care with the task, trying to avoid touching the skin around the delicate nails at all and using a tissue to dab at any tiny bits of excess. Once all ten nails were gleaming red she took both the girl’s hands in her own and blew on her fingers. She’d only used one coat so they dried quickly. The colour wasn’t quite as dark as Wanda’s own fingernails; she’d used three coats for maximum colour, but she wasn’t about to try that on Morgan, since it was time consuming and took much longer to dry. Morgan looked pleased with the colour as it was, anyway.

“There we go. All finished.”

Morgan grinned at Wanda, waggling her fingers proudly. “Thank you, Wanda!”

“You’re very welcome.”

Wanda wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen next, but before she could start to feel awkward again they were interrupted by a call from down the hallway.

“Morgan? It’s time to go.”

Pepper’s voice, and Morgan looked up attentively at her mother’s call. 

Wanda smiled at her. “I think your mom’s finished talking business.”

Before Morgan could reply, Pepper’s face appeared in the still open doorway. 

“There you are. I’m sorry, Wanda, I hope she wasn't bothering you.” Pepper crossed her arms. “She was _ supposed _ to be going to Peter’s room, but he just came in and said he hadn’t seen her.”

“I got distracted” Morgan said, not sounding very convincing. 

“Oh, I’m sure.” Pepper rolled her eyes, and it was clear she was trying to sound more annoyed than she actually was. “Thanks for keeping an eye on her, Wanda.”

“No need” Wanda said, slightly shy in the face of the older woman. “She’s been as good as gold.”

“Wanda painted my nails red, Mommy” Morgan said excitedly, bouncing up off the bed and rushing to show her mother the proof. 

Pepper bent down a little and examined the red nails, feigning incredible interest. “So I see. Very pretty colour, sweetheart.”

“I hope that’s okay, Mrs Potts” Wanda said. 

Pepper smiled kindly at her. “Of course. I appreciate you keeping her entertained.”

Wanda nodded. “Any time.”

Although Wanda’s words were meant in good faith, she only very rarely saw Morgan Stark. As time wore on, she spent more and more time on overseas missions and although she remained a part of the team, she eventually settled in South America.

Wanda would only ever be a friend of the family sort to Morgan, someone who occasionally showed up and caught up with her but without any special closeness. Nevertheless, there were several times as Morgan grew up that she found herself with Wanda at the compound, and sharing her nail varnish was something that became a peculiar shared pastime on those rare occasions. 

Morgan didn’t know it, but she was someone that Wanda kept tabs on from a distance, using techniques she had learned long ago from Natasha Romanoff. Although Wanda knew perfectly well that the girl had many protectors to step up if and when they were needed, she nonetheless did her small part in watching over the daughter of the man who saved the universe. 

Wanda would not be the most familiar of faces to Morgan Stark, but she would be a distant guardian of sorts, tying in with the Avengers when needed. When she was an adult, Morgan would come to realise that. 

And whenever either one of them painted their nails red, the first thought that each of them would have was always of the other.


End file.
